"Self-Imposed Racism"

I think there needs to be some sort of non-profit organization which provides
jobs to civil rights activists. Not because whatever their situation is
(race, gender, disability, etc.) keeps them from getting a job, but because
they have too much free time to pull shit like this!

UT Austin's The Daily Texan, a perfect example of how the only
people who want to write for student papers are the people who simply can't
write, has been deluging and hyping its readers with the latest scandal to
hold back equality (heh), Law Professor Lino Graglia.

Before I get started, I do not know Mr. Graglia or his viewpoints beyond
what I read in the paper. However, that's not quite why I'm pissed off
about all this. Maybe he is a racist, but why don't you do some research
before you go accusing him of one? Before you wreck a man's life?

Graglia has stubbornly held onto his opinion that "blacks and
Mexican-Americans are not academically competitive with whites in selective
institutions" and that "these cultures do not encourage achievement. Failure
is not looked upon with disgrace."

When Graglia said this at a press conference, people were immediately
outraged. How dare he insinuate that our cultures don't stress education
over anything else! How dare he not overlook the number of crimes committed
by minorities and the number of drug dealers, drug users, and wannabe
basketball players in minority communities. How dare he say that racism and
the lack of hope in generations past has led to the economic and social state
we're in now!

Maybe Graglia favors accepting students from purely an objective standpoint,
wanting only the best of the best students, not the best in proportion to
the quality of their upbringing.

Now look, I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, or that it's not important.
Sure, it's still out there. Maybe not so much consciously, but
subconsciously, the sort where you look at someone and you don't hate them,
but for some unexplained reason, you don't like them. Furthermore, I'm not
blaming minorities for causing all the problems in society. The truth is
that everyone is at fault here. All races. All walks of
life. Lastly, I'm speaking in general terms. Don't call it stereotyping.
The black culture has made vast gains, or at least, that's what I've
observed, in stressing education. We're trying to keep our kids (of all
races) in school, off the streets and off drugs. School doesn't seem
to be perceived as optional, as much as it was half a decade or so ago.

Now that I've tried to explain myself so I'm not brazenly labeled an
upper-middle class racist, I'll say that I think, if what Graglia says is
true, that I think he's right. I think that it shows mainly in popular
culture, but that is one of the main influences to children. Why go to
school when you can make thousands a week selling drugs? Hey, just make
it in basketball and you won't have to worry about anything else. How
much do we hear about striving to become a law professional or computer
programmer?

The point is that although discrimination and lack of money keeps a lot of
minorities from achieving their goals, some of the blame is also on the
culture which breeds illegal activity instead of condemnation of it.

Isn't talking about racism a bitch? Try it in a public essay such as this.
You have to go through every single precaution and can't overlook anything,
or else you'll be in a press conference being attacked by people claiming
you're racist.

And that pisses me off.

People are so fucking sensitive. People never admit they're wrong. They're
too "strong" to do that. Any time they even THINK that they're being
insulted, they get all sensationalist and start throwing around slanderous
names for instant attention. Everything is an attack, everything is a
way of keeping one down. Sen. Gregory Luna, head of the Senate Hispanic
Caucus, spouted this little pearl: "It seems we're in an era where the
Ku Klux Klan does not come in white robes but in the robes of academe. [sic]"

Jesus.

You know what? A good portion of racism is self-imposed these days. Some
of us actually DON'T hate you just because you're a certain color. But
you just assume that we hate you, so you walk around thinking everyone is
racist. That's all in your head. Self-imposed. You put yourself in a
mental prison and throw away the key. And, of course, you put the blame
on someone else.

Everyone is at fault when it comes to racism. I had to repeat that. We
have to just accept the way things were and move on. We have to accept
that each of our cultures has long had stereotypes against other cultures
and we need to remember that that was in the past, when we were more
imperialistic and territorial. We don't need hate now. I think everyone
argues that men will always hate others, but that argument has history on
its side. In the past, land was fought for and ill feelings were harbored
in the losers AND the winners. But now, countries are more commercially
competitive and more diplomatic.

But come on...it's the 90's. Humans can DO better than this. Even I think
that, and I absolutely loathe people.

Take your agenda and save it for a more worthy cause. Don't go asking for
a professor's resignation, when you don't even know his views through taking
his class or knowing him in person. Even black people who have taken
Graglia's class don't think he's racist. This man's comments are not going
to hold back attempts for equality. The only people holding back attempts
for equality are the people labeling Graglia as one similar to the Ku Klux
Klan.

Go easy on my take on racism. It's difficult to explain one's views in
one small essay. The most important thing is the media and activist group
work which has gone into this event. It illustrates perfectly the meaning
of the title of this Soapbox: self-imposed racism.